Whoa!

The Political Buzz blog reports big gains for Bill Richardson in poll numbers. Polls were conducted of MoveOn.org members; i.e., these are folks who are likely to vote in the primaries. The Gov is clearly making gains.

Slow and Steady Gains in The '08 Race

This article is also up at the official Richardson for President site, but I thought it was good enough to link to here as well. Donna Brazile makes the point--made here already-- that we're still in the first inning of a tough game and that Governor Richardson is not only in this for the long haul, but is making slow and steady gains that will position him well for the early primaries.

In the Race For Money, "Didn't Bill Richardson Do Awfully Well?"

Here's one that I missed from last week--a succinct claim that, much like I said here previously, the Gov did very well in the first-quarter fundraising battle and should compete very well in the future battle for the '08 Dem nomination.

A Fine Letter To the Editor

Reader Joe Nicoletti sent the letter below to the editor of the NY Journal News (Westchester/Putnam/Rockland County). I liked it so much that I reprinted it here:

Having both a female and an African-American Presidential candidate is certainly significant and historical, however, the media's over the top coverage of Senators Clinton and Obama incorrectly reinforces (albeit sublimely) the belief that Democratic voters have only two candidates to choose from for their party's nomination.

At this very early stage of the campaign, I believe the media should be giving equal coverage to all the candidates, not just the ones that have a famous last name, raise the most money, or draw rock star type crowds. Constantly being told by the media, who's the frontrunner, who's raising the most money, who's first tier, who's second tier, etc..., undermines the entire election process.

I don't want anyone to think I am writing this letter on behalf of any one particular candidate, however, I will use one of the "second tier" Democratic candidates as an example to help me illustrate my point. Here's his resume.

7 term United States Congressman
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Secretary of Energy
Governor - Re-elected with 69% of the vote (In a Republican state).
4 time Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
Internationally Respected Diplomat & Negotiator

This man has more experience, and has accomplished more in his career than both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama combined.

What percent of the voting public is even aware of this man?

How many other qualified candidates are being overlooked?

In my opinion, the media's constant attention to Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, not only does a great disservice to the other Democratic candidates, but to the country as a whole.

Joe Nicoletti
Bethel, CT.

And Then, In His Spare Time....

What'd you do with your free time yesterday? Bill Richardson, in North Korea solely to get the remains of US vets from the Korean War, spent his free time by brokering a deal with the North Koreans to allow UN nuclear inspectors into the country within 30 days. Wow.

Boston Globe story is here.

Another Plug For Bill That's Worth Reading

I read this article, from the Wisconsin Badger Herald, a while back, before this blog started up, but, despite the fact that it's a few months old, it still rings true: Bill Richardson is the most electable Dem for the general election.

Bill Richardson's Greatest Hits, Diplomatic Edition

Here's a great piece from the Las Cruces, NM Sun News detailing all of Bill Richardson's diplomatic accomplishments. Pretty amazing stuff. On foreign policy experience alone, he clearly has both the Dem and GOP fields completely outclassed.

"The Only Governor With a Foreign Policy"

That's what they call Bill Richardson, and now he's off to North Korea on a multi-day trip to recover the remains of US vets from the Korean War. More here.

You'll notice that he's the only presidential candidate who gets these kinds of calls....

Bill Richardson--the Six Million Dollar Man

It looks like the first-quarter fundraising totals are in and Hillary came in at $26 million, Edwards at $14 million and Richardson at $6 million with Dodd and Biden well below that figure. Obama hasn't made his results official but word is that he has almost Hillary-like numbers to boast about. So should we Richardson fans be sad? No! In fact those numbers are good.

The Gov has made clear from the outset that he is going to campaign in the first four states (IA, NH, NV and SC) in the more traditional way--by going door to door, handshake to handshake. If this were all about rockstar donation-earnings potential, then Bill Richardson never would have thrown his hat into the ring. He said a while ago that the first four primaries are going to decide this thing, and that whoever wins those (or does very well) will have a clear advantage going into the Feb 5 super primaries (NJ included). $6 million can go a long way in those first four states and the Gov's clear advantage in being a down-to-earth campaigner will help him immensely. Money is always important, but it's not the only thing, especially in those early states where TV markets are small and personal appearances are big. Plus, win there, or even be extremely competitive there, and the money will be rolling in from that point onward.

I have a feeling that it's the next six months or so when this whole contest is going to change dramatically. Governor Richardson has positioned himself well to make it a horse race. And as we know from this ad (which cracks me up every time), Richardson knows horses.

Because He Can Win Florida....

There's a nice opinion piece in the St Petersburg, FL paper naming The Gov as the Dem most likely to win Florida in the general election. And you may recall how important that's been in the past. Experience and electability win every time.